When there is a verb after too + adjective, we use its infinitive form:
Too + Adjective + Infinitive
If we look at this sentence again:
- The fridge is too heavy.
If we want to put a verb (lift) after it, it needs to be in its infinitive form, so it becomes:
- The fridge is too heavy to lift.
And this sentence:
- The coffee is too hot.
We can an infinitive at the end:
- The coffee is too hot to drink.
Some more example sentences of Too + Adjective + Infinitive
- It is too late to go to the concert. It started an hour ago.
- He is too young to drive a car.
- My grandfather it too old to play
- I am too tired to do my homework.
- Your question is too difficult to answer.
Look at this sentence again.
- The coffee is too hot to drink.
In this sentence I don’t mention WHO finds the coffee too hot. Is it me? my mother? Let’s say I can’t drink it.
To add a person to this sentence, we use the following sentence structure:
Too + Adjective + (for + person) + infinitive
- The coffee is too hot for me to drink.
We can also put someone’s name if you want.
- The coffee is too hot for Rob to drink.
But it is more common to use an object pronoun.
- The coffee is too hot for him to drink.
Let’s use this structure to change this sentence:
- The fridge is too heavy. Steve can’t lift it.
How can we use the structure we have seen? (pause) This becomes:
- The fridge is too heavy for Steve to lift.
Let’s change another sentence:
- It is too late to go to the concert.
This can become:
- It is too late for us to go to the concert.
I used us because I am imagining both my wife and I had planned to go to the concert.
You could also say:
- It is too late for me to go to the concert.
It depends on who was going to go to the concert.
More examples of this structure:
- It was too wet for us to go camping.
- The river water is too dirty for them to drink.
- This is too difficult for me to complete.
- The room was too noisy for her to study. (The noise distracts her. She likes to study in quiet)
Note: We don’t always need an infinitive.
We can just use this structure:
Too + Adjective (+ for + person/people)
- That shirt is too small for him.
- It is too early for me. (I usually don’t wake up until later)
- This is too complicated for us.
- I think it is too big for you.
TOO + Adjective Summary Chart